* The films are no longer available and the Emigre rani segment is only available till April 5, 2022.
Sherry Rehman
Jude Kelly
Kate joyce
Welcome to WOW Pakistan 2022
Jude Kelly CBE launched WOW – Women of the World Festival in 2010 to mark the centenary of International Women’s Day, as a major global festival that celebrates women and girls and looks at the obstacles they face, where hundreds of women’s stories could be shared, feelings vented, fun had, minds influenced and hearts expanded.
The ethos of WOW is to create a festival for everyone. It is bold and broad-based in its approach, both lively and serious, and feeds the demand to discuss anything and everything. It brings people together from all corners of society - both speakers and audience members - energising and providing the inspiration and tools to make change.
The festival came to South Asia via Karachi in 2016. Since then there have been 3 face to face WOW festivals as well as a four day digital festival in March 2021 and a series of activities and engagement with actors and partners in Gilgit Baltistan. This is the 5th WOW Festival and the 2nd Virtual one in Pakistan.
The ethos of WOW is to create a festival for everyone. It is bold and broad-based in its approach, both lively and serious, and feeds the demand to discuss anything and everything. It brings people together from all corners of society - both speakers and audience members - energising and providing the inspiration and tools to make change.
Our opening speakers are incredible women leaders who work to effect and impact change for 1000s inspires us all
Sania Saeed
Mira Sethi
Check-In
- Workshops Announcement
- Festival website - wowvirtual.pk
- WOW Interactive: Raniverse: Women in the digital World
Mai Dhai
Centennial Crescendo
Centennial Crescendo is our opening act presented by the amazing Mai Dhai. A 101 year old woman performer who has seen more change in the past century than most will ever witness in their lifetime, she sings in the local Marwari language of Sindh. Her voice is powerful and the language holds immense cultural nuance, expressing the depth of feelings and the grandeur of a people's cultural ideas.
Hadiqa Bashir
Girls, not Brides
At just 11 years old, Hadiqa Bashir became an activist because she was forced to reckon with a fate that Pakistan's patriarchal society inflicts on many girls and women. In this short snippet, the teenager shares her incredible journey of advocating against child marriage and what propelled her into action at such a young age.
Nighat Dad
Imaan Mazari-Hazir
Shmyla Khan
Asma Shirazi
Justice, not #hashtags: Navigating Violence Against Women and its Digital Reflection
The Opening Panel explores why women are often at the wrong end of policy, social and institutional choices. The panel looks at the incidence of GBV and the impact of violent incidents like one at Minar e Pakistan, the Noor Mukhaddam case and others and their impact on women’s psyche. It will also touch upon the response of tech giants and how algorithms don’t recognise violence in our context or in our local languages. It also explores how hashtags are for both victims of violence and women activists, who then become targets of digital violence themselves and how violence has impacted Pakistani women at a visceral, physiological and psychological level.
Sana Jafferi
Happy Marriage
A strong-willed transgender woman encourages her long-term friend to get married to a woman of his family’s choosing as his masculinity is questioned by his friends and family.
Sania Saeed
Swineryy
Check-In
- Checking in with Swineryy
- Workshops Announcement
- Festival website - wowvirtual.pk
- WOW Interactive: Raniverse: Women in the digital World
Maham Shiraz
Queen of the Road
Maham Shiraz can be found tearing up the roads in her four wheeler, kicking up clouds of dust and all round awesomeness. Tune in as she talks about being the youngest off-roader in Pakistan and the road to getting there.
Bee Gul
Nazuk Rao Iftikhar
Sadia Khatri
Mina Malik-Hussain
Rani ki Arsi
Arsi is a ring with a mirror in its center. The panel's title alludes to the fact that this is a mirror held by a woman, but where she only sees fragments of herself. While we have a lot of female writers who write women-centric stories, these stories are more from the male gaze rather than the female gaze. The panel presents Pakistani women writers who reclaim that space and promote a feminine and feminist perspective. Meet writers who have eschewed the typical story (manic pixie dream girl characters) and look at women the way women see themselves.
Yamina Peerzada
Agha Haider Ali
Lala Ahsan
Ragni
OLO Tatolo – “Ragni” will feature 10 minutes of interactive music session Music Chacha Show with Agha Haider, Lala Ahsan and Talha Jamil.
Mina Malik-Hussain
Rani ki Zabani
Join Mina Malik for awesome stories about connect, family and dealing with difficult moments and emotions
Tooba Saad
Nayma
Inshal Shakeel
Areesha Rahim
Shadow Friends
The panelists this year are young adults, between the ages of 17 and 18. The conversation is around bullying in girls or how the phenomenon presents and impacts young women, both in person and online. From dirty looks, taunting notes, and social exclusion that plague girls’ friendships and which have gained new momentum in cyberspace, the panel explores bullying as it presents among girls but also how harassment, both sexual and otherwise, manifests for young women online.
The Rani
The ‘Rani’ is one who cuts across societal divisions. She embodies feminine and masculine energy: independent of relations, offering, flowing, firm, found and felt without demanding recognition. Rani is found all around us, not an elusive figure whose image is to be captured but one that can easily be seen if only one opens their eyes and minds. She is often ‘seen’ by society, as a threat, when she subverts established norms but instead she should be seen as a whole. Upholding, subverting and constantly negotiating with the frameworks that shape our lives
Mira Sethi
Swineryy
Check-In
- WOW Marketplace
- Checking in with Swineryy
- Workshops Announcement
- Festival website - wowvirtual.pk
- WOW Interactive: Raniverse: Women in the digital World
Areeba Naveed
A Coup
When a young girl comes out to her biased psychiatrist in 1983, he calls her parents for an intervention to cure her.
Maliha J. Khan
Rawshni
Ranis of Saffron
British Council Saffron project grantees are here to knock your socks off! Curated by Natasha Noorani, these grantees have perfected and honed these pieces for the big day! Saffron is a program run by the British Council to foster emerging talent among women and other marginalized communities in Pakistan. Saffron is showcasing Rawshni and Maliha Javed's work for WOW. Rawshni is a rapper, singer and producer based in Karachi. Her work explores aspects of her emotional life and are reflections born from her experiences. She works across multiple genres and believes in the power of music to create harmony. Maliha J. Khan is an Islamabad-based vocalist and DJ, popular for her distinctive vocals. Her standout style is to create a fusion of contemporary and classical sounds
Aamna Uqaili
Tanzila Khan
Ayesha Amin
Saba Khalid
Cramping my style
The panel is designed to build awareness and foster open conversation around periods. It is aimed at younger audiences and talks about health, awareness, myths and options. The panel shines a light on young activists in this space who are accessing communities, reaching out to girls and young women and working to break taboos and stigma
Mavra Ghaznavi
The Earth Audit
15-minute comedy sketch featuring an alien bureaucrat conducting a Gender Audit of planet Earth as part of the application process for all planets joining the Intergalactic Federation. The alien bureaucrat interviews Pakistanis and asks questions relating to gender and Pakistan is found to be performing woefully against all gender indicators. This leads the bureaucrat to become more and more disheartened as the interview continues, ultimately deciding that Earth’s application must be rejected
Parvinder Marwaha
Yasmeen Lari
Cooking things up with Yasmeen Lari
Feminism, gender justice and climate change - how are all three linked? Yasmeen Lari, renowned climate change expert talks about how climate change will impact women and children first and what we can do to combat it.
Sania Saeed
Swineryy
Check-In
- WOW Marketplace
- Checking in with Swineryy
- Workshops Announcement
- Festival website - wowvirtual.pk
- WOW Interactive: Raniverse: Women in the digital World
Samina Nazir
Sunil Shanker
Rachna Kirpalani
Dareecha
A theatre performance, Dareecha opens the window for a better and stronger view of everyone’s life. This is a theatre production, shot as a short film. It shows the journey of a young woman, from suppressed to an empowered Queen. Performed, written and directed proudly by NAPA graduates.